Devon, Pennsylvania – May 24, 2026 – The Dixon Oval saw a diverse display of disciplines on Sunday, concluding with the highly anticipated Arena Eventing class. Spectators filled the stands to watch the country’s top eventing talent take on the $50,000 Devon Arena Eventing, sponsored by B&D Builders and Goshen Hill.
One of only a few events of its kind in the world, Devon’s Arena Eventing is unlike any other jumping event at the show. The course combines cross-country obstacles with traditional show jumps and spans both the Wheeler Ring and the Dixon Oval. The first round featured 27 jumps over a 1,280-meter track spanning both rings, while the second round featured 15 jumps over 700 meters around the Dixon Oval.
Captain Mark Phillips, a former Olympic team gold medalist for Great Britain and longtime U.S. Eventing chef d’équipe, brought decades of championship-level experience to a course that tested both accuracy and boldness. As one of the sport’s most accomplished course designers, Phillips has designed the Devon Arena Eventing course since the event’s inception.
In the end, it was Monica Spencer aboard Valkyrie, a New Zealand Warmblood mare, who topped the class, claiming victory in the $50,000 Devon Arena Eventing, sponsored by B&D Builders & Goshen Hill. With the win, Spencer and Valkyrie were awarded The George O. Davidson Trophy. Rounding out the top three were Arielle Aharoni, riding Christina Aharoni’s KWPN gelding Notorious, and Boyd Martin, aboard Bonnie Stedt’s Hanoverian chestnut mare Miss Lulu Herself.
Spencer, who hails from New Zealand, was thrilled with Valkyrie’s performance in the electric atmosphere of the Dixon Oval during the pair’s first appearance in the Devon Arena Eventing class.
“This is our first time at the Arena Eventing at Devon,” Spencer said. “What a cool class to come to, and these classes are so much fun and great for the spectators. Thank you to the sponsors for keeping these classes going.”
Spencer said preparing a horse for an environment like Devon comes down to experience.
“I think the horses just need to be comfortable in an atmosphere, and the only way to get comfortable is to get into an atmosphere,” she said. “You find out how they’ll react when you get here, really, and she was great.”
Despite posting one of the fastest rounds of the evening, Spencer admitted she was unsure whether her time would hold.
“Oh, I had no idea,” Spencer said. “And when I heard that I’d won, I was like, ‘Oh wow, that’s pretty cool.’ Mark Phillips built an awesome track for us, and it was fun to ride.”
Spencer has developed Valkyrie from a young horse and believes the mare has a bright future ahead.
“I’ve had her since she was three, and she’s rising nine now,” Spencer said. “I’m the only one that rides her, and she came over from New Zealand with us. I always believed in the horse, and I think she’s going to turn into a great four-star horse. She’s doing three-star at the moment, and she’s shown a lot of promise.”
Having watched the class from afar last year, Spencer set her sights on competing in Devon’s Arena Eventing.
“We watched it on TV last year, and I thought, ‘I’d like to do that next year,’” Spencer said. “Devon is such a special venue. I’ve been here to show jump before, and I loved it. The locals and the spectators, the crowds — they really support this show, and it’s one of our favorites. I’d like to come back here as much as I can.”
